Dalek Xol
by Late October
Summary: In an effort to create a Dalek capable of regeneration, the Daleks kidnap and perform experiments on the Doctor.  MPREG. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The Doctor simply vanished.

He stepped outside of the TARDIS, grinning and full of energy, ready to begin another adventure, and then he simply disappeared. He didn't run off, or fade away; there was an electronic noise, a flash of light, and then he was gone.

Sarah Jane Smith stood for a few moments dumbfounded as she stared at the vacant space he had so recently occupied. "A trick of his?" she thought hopefully, as she walked around the TARDIS. But he wasn't there. Neither was he inside. She checked every room, calling out for him, but he didn't answer. She searched the surrounding area, running across the purple grass and green dirt of the alien planet on which they'd landed, calling out his name. She expected him to call out any moment, and then she'd find him behind a rock, analyzing a flower, or fiddling with the sonic screwdriver, or exploring a cave by the flashing yellow sea.

But he didn't call out.

She didn't know what to do; this had never happened before. She returned to the TARDIS and began tentatively operating controls. She didn't know how to fly the spacecraft, but the Doctor had showed her how to scan for bio signs. After lots of button-pushing and lever-pulling, she managed to calibrate the scanners for Gallifreyan. She scanned a ten kilometer radius with no luck. She widened the search to one hundred kilometers – still nothing. After more fiddling, she managed to set the parameters to the entire planet, but her Doctor simply was gone.

"What to do? What to do?" she worried. She couldn't just sit there. If he was in some kind of trouble, she had to help him. And she couldn't help him if she didn't even know where he was. She stepped back outside. "Oh, Doctor! Where are you?" she called out helplessly to the empty air.

As if on cue, there was another flash of light and the Doctor materialized right where he had vanished. Sarah Jane immediately noticed a drastic change: his scarf, hat, and overcoat had been replaced by some sort of white pajamas; he was barefoot; and he looked terrible. His face was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Sarah ran up to him and caught him just as was about to collapse.

"Oh Sarah," he moaned. "I've been gone for days! I've only just managed to escape. Help me inside; I feel so weak."

She grabbed hold of the Doctor's waist and helped him back into the TARDIS. As if sensing his need, the sentient craft moved his bedroom door to the beginning of the hall. Sarah helped him inside and led him over to the bed, where he promptly collapsed and closed his eyes.

"Doctor, what happened?"

He took several deep breaths before answering. "I was snatched away by a space-time teleporter," he explained. "It's probably in orbit around this planet. This machine was calibrated to my physiology and was set to instantly transport any Time Lord directly to the power source. There are probably others orbiting other planets, set up in the hopes that I'd travel there one day. As soon as I stepped out of the TARDIS's protective shields, they got me. They got me and made me their prisoner."

"Who, Doctor?"

He looked at his companion with tired blue eyes and took a few weary breaths before answering.

"The Daleks."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sarah gasped. "The Daleks? But … how are you still alive?"

The Doctor laughed weakly. "Come now, Sarah, have a little faith. I've survived encounters with our armored friends before."

"But the Daleks want you dead! Why did they imprison you?"

"Sarah, they wanted me for something, for some kind of experiment. Exactly what, I don't know (they weren't exactly forthcoming with the details). After my sudden disappearance, I materialized in a circle of Daleks. Before I could say anything, I was stunned into unconsciousness. I awoke some time later in bed in a plain, metal room, a prison cell, I should say. I was ever so confused for a time because not only had the Daleks not killed me, they went to the trouble of changing my clothes and putting me in bed. I was actually under the sheets and covers. (Don't ask me how they did it; those plungers and ray guns they've got for arms don't appear very articulate). I began to wonder if there were actually Daleks inside of those machines. They fed me at regular intervals, and when I was sick they brought me medicine. The even asked me if the room temperature was comfortable! Why would a Dalek care about that?"

"You said they were experimenting on you?"

"Exactly! I don't know what they did, or what they were trying to do, but whatever it was, they seemed very interested in taking good care of me," he explained as they walked towards his bedroom.

"What did they do to you, Doctor?"

"For the first few days, they kept me in my room. A pair of Daleks came and took a blood sample, and every so often they would return and perform some sort of examination with a bio-scanner. One morning (or afternoon, I wasn't provided with a clock), they brought me into a large sort of laboratory. They forced me to remove my clothes, and then they strapped me down to a table. A piece of machinery was lowered over me – the bottom of the equipment opened up, and out came a rather large hypodermic needle. They injected me in the belly with something, something that burned and stung. Afterwards I was returned to my room and I fell asleep. I haven't felt right since then. When I woke up, I had a fever. That went away after a couple of days, but then I started feeling sick. I had trouble keeping anything down, and I was so tired. The Daleks came regularly to perform the bioscans and to bring me medicines.

One day they brought me into the laboratory again. I was left with one Dalek while his partner went off for something, and that's when I saw it: my sonic screwdriver, suspended in fluid in some sort of glass case. I made a wild dash for it, broke the glass, and was able to make my escape. It was a close call, and the Daleks chased me around for a bit, but with my screwdriver, I was able to locate the teleport pad and return here."

"And you don't know exactly what that injection was?"

"Not a clue. Whatever it was, it's made me ill." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Sarah, I have medical equipment here in the TARDIS, in the infirmary. I'll examine myself later, but now I've got to rest. I'm so weak, and I feel a bit sick."

"Of course, Doctor." Sarah Jane helped him under the covers and turned out the light. Deeply worried, she pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. Before she had done even that, the Doctor fell fast asleep, breathing weakly and steadily.

…

"YOU HAVE FAILED," stated the Dalek in charge of Biological Experimentation. "YOU HAVE LOST THE SUBJECT. YOU WILL BE EXTER-MINATED."

"WE UNDERSTAND," replied the two unfortunate Daleks on duty when the Doctor made his escape. They didn't try to plead for their lives, or ask for a second chance They were Daleks, and all they knew was duty and racial self-preservation. They had failed, and they knew that they were getting what they deserved for their negligence.

There was a flash of light from the head Dalek's ray gun, and the two medics were dead.

"DALEKS VIR AND TOR: ADVANCE FORWARDS," ordered the alien. Two new Daleks, indistinguishable from their recently deceased peers, approached their overseer. "YOU WILL RETRIEVE THE DOCTOR AND RE-SUME EX-PERI-MENTATION. WE MUST COMPLETE OUR WORK, FOR THE FU-TURE STRENTH OF THE SUPERIOR DALEK RACE. WE WILL RECAPTURE THE DOC-TOR AND USE HIM TO MAKE US IN-VINCIBLE."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Doctor awoke several hours later feeling groggy and disoriented with a dull belly ache. Sarah Jane had fallen asleep in her chair next to his bed. He smiled and covered her with a blanket before making his way into the control room. After checking to make sure the equipment was in order, he went to the kitchen and fixed a pot of tea.

It felt so good to have tea, honest-to-goodness tea, after all of his troubles. The Daleks had given him some kind of strange hot drink that tasted like vitamins, and it was all he could do to choke that down. That, water, and a small variety of food bars and nutritional pastes were all he'd had to eat and drink for days and days. Now, he was hungry – very hungry – and he began to fix himself a small snack.

The small snack quickly became a very large snack. He downed several cups of tea with liberal amounts of cream and sugar. He ate two packages of chocolate digestives, a can of sardines, and three oranges. Everything tasted delicious, but nothing quite hit the spot. He rustled through a drawer until he found an unopened bag of Jelly Babies. He opened the refrigerator door and took out a bottle of horseradish. He dipped each sweet in the bitter sauce before eating it, and for some reason, even though he knew it ought to be disgusting, it tasted delicious. So did pickles dipped in raspberry jam. He was spreading mayonnaise on a thick slice of bread when the kitchen door opened, and in walked Sarah.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor looked around and suddenly noticed the mess of jars and wrappers and plates spread across the table. "Oh," he said nonchalantly. "Just having a bite to eat. I was feeling a bit peckish."

"A bite to eat?" she echoed. "If this is a bite, I'd hate to see you take a meal. Did you find out what was wrong?"

"No," he answered, feeling a bit sheepish. I checked the controls and came straight in here. I suppose I should have gone to the infirmary first, but I was just so hungry. We'll go there now, then."

"Doctor, what do you think could be wrong?"

"I really don't know, Sarah. But we'll find out soon enough."

Although the Doctor instructed her to go back to sleep, that he could take care of performing his own tests, Sarah didn't want to leave him. He was acting strange – well, stranger than usual – and she didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone.

"Hmmm," he muttered, staring at a blood sample through the microscope. "Very peculiar."

"What is it?"

"Hormones. Foreign hormones and other blood chemicals that I can't identify. Substances that shouldn't be there. The Daleks have obviously introduced something into my body, but what I can't tell. I've never seen this before."

He used a simple mercury thermometer to take his temperature, which was a bit high, and then he took his blood pressure, which came out more or less normal. Next he took out his stethoscope and listened to his hearts. "Everything seems fine," he muttered to himself.

But then he placed the stethoscope over his belly, and alarm spread over his face. "No," he whispered. "That simply can't be."

"What is it?" his companion asked anxiously.

"It would appear, Sarah, that I … that I have three heartbeats."

"Three heartbeats? But, that's impossible. That would mean –"

"That I have something growing inside of me," the Doctor finished ominously.

He quickly whipped out an ultrasound machine. He untucked his white shirt and quickly spread the ultrasound gel across his lower abdomen. When he placed the equipment against his body, a strange, grainy picture appeared on the monitor. For several moments, he couldn't identify it. Then, suddenly, realization sunk in, and his face grew very pale.

"Doctor, what is it?" asked Sarah Jane. "What have they put inside of you?"

The Doctor's blue eyes were wide with fear. He sank down helplessly into a chair. "Oh Sarah," he gasped, "it's a Dalek embryo. They've impregnated me with a baby Dalek!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sarah Jane ran and fetched a cup of tea for the Doctor while he sat in the infirmary in disbelief, analyzing more bio scans and trying to think of what to do.

"Surely there's some way of getting rid of it …?" she suggested, handing him the mug.

The Doctor shook his head slowly. "I doubt it. It's connected to my biology. According to these scans, I can't terminate the embryo without harming myself."

"But, if you were hurt badly enough, wouldn't you just regenerate?"

He shrugged. "Possibly. Probably, but I can't say for certain, and I don't like to rely on regeneration if there's any other option. Besides, I don't know exactly what the Daleks have pumped into my systems. They've transformed my body into a Dalek incubator, and if I disrupt that function without knowing all the facts, it could have disastrous consequences. The Daleks aren't stupid: they understand genetic engineering."

"But Doctor, this means that we'll either have to find the Daleks responsible for this and figure out some way of reversing it, or … you'll have to have the baby."

The Doctor frowned. "Finding the Daleks might not be a problem – they may even find us first – but convincing them to undo what they've done to me is impossible. Daleks can't be reasoned with, or bribed, or persuaded. They are infuriatingly goal oriented." He laughed weakly, rubbing his sore stomach.

"But … how is it going to come out?" wailed Sarah.

The Doctor winced. "I'm not quite sure, but the Daleks likely built some means of … egress into its genetic code. It will make its own way out, somehow, probably directly through the skin." Now it was Sarah's turn to make a face.

"What I can't understand is, why?" he wondered out loud. "Why would the Daleks go to the trouble of physically impregnating me? If they'd wanted to make a Dalek-Gallifreyan hybrid, it would have been easier to take my DNA, create the embryo, and implant it in an incubation chamber. This just doesn't make sense. Unless…."

"Unless what, Doctor?"

The Doctor frowned and stood up. "Unless the Daleks are trying to master the secrets of regeneration. That would be difficult if not impossible to accomplish in an artificial growth chamber." He sighed and rubbed his face sleepily. "At any rate, I can't think about this right now. I'm not feeling well at all. In fact, I feel like I'm going to be …." The Doctor's face suddenly went pale. He clamped a hand over his mouth, ran to the sink, and threw up multiple times. Sarah winced at the ugly sounds of retching and splattering, wondering if Gallifreyans were susceptible to morning sickness or if the thought of carrying and giving birth to a Dalek had made the Doctor physically ill.

The next several weeks were difficult for the both of them. The Doctor was always engaged in one of four activities: brooding over the TARDIS controls, sleeping, eating massive amounts of bizarre food, or throwing up. Sarah Jane tried to be helpful, to cheer him up and comfort him, but he was withdrawn and unresponsive. He had never really opened up to her before, but now he didn't even attempt to make a show of intimacy. The spark was gone from his eyes, and they no longer visited other times and alien worlds. The Doctor did some additional tests on the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus: his suspicions were correct in that it was a Dalek-Gallifreyan hybrid, a whole new kind of Dalek. The days seemed to stretch on forever as the Doctor kept to himself and the TARDIS floated idly in the time vortex.

And all the time his body was changing.

The baby seemed to be developing at a very healthy rate, as the Doctor's belly grew noticeably larger each week. In the fourth week, the baby started moving, a disturbing and strange experience for the Doctor. As time passed, the skin covering the fetus looked thinner, as if the baby was moving closer to the surface in anticipation of its birth. If viewed in the right light, Sarah could just barely see outlines of tiny tentacles wriggling about beneath the surface. The discomfited Time Lord soon realized that his nipples were growing tender and swollen as his breasts prepared for lactation. The baby's movements became more and more frequent, and more uncomfortable, until one day the Doctor grasped his belly and cried out in pain.

Sarah Jane was at his side in an instant. "Doctor, is it time?"

The Doctor grimaced in pain and nodded. "I think so. Help me up." When they reached the infirmary, she helped him onto a padded examining table as he unbuttoned his shirt and trousers. The baby was extremely active; his movements were discernable through the flesh and something hard like a tooth or claw appeared to be attempting to break the surface.

"Doctor, what do I do?" asked a panicked Sarah Jane.

"On the table," gasped the writhing Doctor, "over there. There's a hypo and a vial of pain medication. Bring them…"

"Of course, Doctor," she said, handing him the drug, which he quickly administered to his own arm.

"Oh," he moaned, leaning back with his eyes closed. His face was red and his brown curls were drenched with sweat. "Oh, that's better. Oh, and bring me some towels, will you Sarah? I have a feeling this is going to be rather messy."

The Doctor suddenly cried out in pain as a small, sharp claw broke the skin, spraying blood-tinged fluid over the pair. Sarah quickly ran for the towels. She placed one under her patient's sweaty neck and used the others to dab away the oozing fluids.

"Doctor, what do I do? How can I help?" she asked frantically. But the Doctor was beyond speech. He was heaving and trembling, his eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched tight. The little claw continued to cut its way free, and within moments a small tentacle had emerged. Another slash and it was completely out. Sarah stared at the alien in horror: here was a miniature Dalek, covered in blood and slime, wriggling its way out of her best friend. The Doctor let out another moan and passed out. Sarah quickly lifted the squirming newborn and placed it in a nearby basin. She instantly began binding up the Doctor's gaping wound, terrified that he might be losing too much blood. But at least he was breathing regularly. Oh, how she hoped his Time Lord resilience would pull him through!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

An hour later …

The Doctor was still asleep, apparently resting comfortably. The bleeding had stopped and his temperature was normal. Sarah checked both of his heartbeats, and everything seemed fine. She had covered him up with a blanket, put a pillow beneath his head, and wiped his brow – after that she simply left him to rest.

While she was eager to care for the Doctor, the newborn was a different story – at least, at first. When she'd pulled that slimy, squirming thing from the Doctor's body, she felt truly disgusted. But when it began making tiny little squeaking sounds – squeaks that became gradually louder until they morphed into little cries – Sarah suddenly realized that the baby also needed help. As she stared down at the little shivering form, she suddenly felt pity and shame for neglecting the blameless little creature. After all, it wasn't his fault he'd been born.

She carefully wrapped the baby in a towel and brought him over to the sink, where she gently rinsed him clean with warm water. After his first bath, she dried him off and wrapped him in a clean blanket. She sat down in a chair next to the sleeping Doctor and took a good look at the baby Dalek.

He was small, squishy, and very blue. Like all Daleks, his head and torso were fused together as his body's central mass, and the brain was visible through the thin skin that covered his head. He had several tentacles, one of which was capped with the little "milk claw." The single eye was bright blue, just like his father's. He didn't have hair, but parts of him were covered with soft peach fuzz. Sarah couldn't help thinking that he was rather cute, and when he snuggled up close to her and began trilling, her heart melted. "How could such a tiny little innocent thing grow up into one of the universe's biggest threats?" she wondered.

"Don't get too attached to it, Sarah," came a weak voice from beside her. "It's a monster. We'll have to dispose of it."

"Doctor!" Sarah gasped, holding the infant close to her chest. "How can you say that! Look at him! You haven't even held your baby yet, and you've condemned him to death."

The Doctor sighed deeply. "Now, Sarah – that is a _Dalek_. It's not like a human baby, or even a Gallifreyan baby, for that matter. It's not even a _person_. It might not seem dangerous now, but it will be. All Daleks are encoded with biological and psychological drives from birth. They kill everything that is not like them."

"But you don't know that this one will be like that! This is an entirely new kind of Dalek!" Alarmed by the arguing, the baby began squeaking and crying again.

"But Sarah, you're not listening. It's still a Dalek. I was infected with a parasite, and we couldn't kill it while it was in utero. But now that it's no longer connected to me, we can. This is a good thing, Sarah."

"You're the one who's not listening, Doctor!" she cried, leaping up from her seat and clasping the newborn close to her heart. "Before he was born, before I held him, I thought the same as you. But then I saw him sleeping and felt him nestle up close to me. And I can tell that he's not dangerous. He really is just a baby, Doctor. Can't you just give him a chance? I mean, what if he's really harmless? You carried him inside you for two months; you gave birth to him. Don't you want to be on the safe side, just in case? He's your baby!"

The Doctor closed his eyes and massaged his temples. He was silent for several moments. "Okay," he finally said. "I suppose you're right. I'll give it … I mean, _him_ a chance."

Sarah broke out into a big grin and handed the fussing bundle over to his parent. The Doctor reluctantly took the infant, eyeing him suspiciously. The baby immediately calmed down and dug his face into the Doctor's shirt, rooting for a nipple. The Doctor assisted, and soon the newborn was happily nursing, making the same trilling and cooing noises as before. As the Doctor watched the little creature nurse, as he felt the gentle tug and pull of a tiny mouth on his breast, and as he sensed the telepathic wisps of utter contentment, his eyes misted over. Sarah knew from that moment that everything was going to be all right.

…

Despite his best efforts to the contrary, the Doctor quickly fell in love with the little baby Dalek. The infant was energetic, curious, and affectionate: the most unDalek-like Dalek he'd ever met. The baby loved cuddling and exploring. He would often protest if left alone, so when the Doctor was busy working, he carried the little creature in a sling across his chest. Sometimes the playful baby couldn't be bothered with cuddling, however, and Sarah Jane was often put on baby-sitting duty.

"Well," Sarah remarked one day. "I'm not quite sure what the Daleks who created this little bloke were aiming for, but I think it's safe to say it wasn't this."

"Indeed," agreed the Doctor, smiling as the little alien played on the floor with a ball of string, squeaking happily.

"You know, Doctor, you haven't given him a name yet."

"That's true," he said thoughtfully. "I have been giving it some thought, but truth be told, I'm rather stumped. I'm not even sure if individual Daleks have names."

"Well, this one is special. Besides, we can't keep calling him 'the baby' forever!"

"Well," he said, studying the little creature, "I was thinking perhaps a name that describes his appearance… Ah! That's it: Xol."

"Xol? What does that mean?"

"It's his color. Xol is the Gallifreyan word for blue."

"Oh, how lovely! Xol it is!"

"And what do you think about that, little fellow?" asked the Doctor, scooping up the little creature. Dalek-Zol stared him in the eye, blinked a few times, and then began eagerly rooting in the Doctor's shirt.

"I think he'd like to celebrate the occasion with a drink!" Sarah said, laughing.

The Doctor was happy to oblige.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Meanwhile, the two Daleks now responsible for the Doctor's recapture were hard at work. Plan after plan had failed, and they grew increasingly determined as their time began to run out. First they boosted the signals of their teleporters in the hope that the Doctor could be grabbed from adjacent times and places, but that yielded no results. They built new scanning equipment to search for time and spatial rifts, as past experience had shown that the Doctor often appeared at these anomalies. Yet he didn't show up. They finally determined that he must be hiding in the Time Vortex, where it was impossible to catch him. But they knew he would not stay there forever; sooner or later he would make an appearance somewhere. The Daleks knew that the Doctor's biological signature would make him easy to locate. The Doctor may be a needle in a haystack, but his distinct signature turned their scanning equipment into a great magnet.

Attempts to destroy the Doctor in the past had failed, yet he continued to destroy the Daleks. If the Daleks themselves became more like the Doctor in certain ways, if the Daleks became capable of regeneration, then they too would be immortal. They absolutely had to recover him to complete their experiments: they needed his live body to nurture the new organism with the Gallifreyan blood that made regeneration possible. Soon they would recover their prisoner and complete their work. Once the Daleks unlocked the secrets of regeneration, their race would be unstoppable.

…

"Well!" said the Doctor one morning. "Xol is two weeks old today. I think he's ready for his first outing." The Doctor cheerfully maneuvered around the TARDIS's controls, pulling levers and pushing buttons. The little Dalek observed everything up close from his baby sling. "How does a trip to the Centauri system sounds to you, little fellow? If we hurry up we'll be in time for the annual spring festival on the fourth planet!" Dalek-Xol seemed to understand, and chirped enthusiastically in response.

Sarah Jane stood back and smiled. It was so good to see the Doctor back to his old self. The doubt and depression that shadowed his pregnancy seemed to have vanished along with the morning sickness and food cravings. He was embracing parenthood with gusto, and Sarah was genuinely happy to see him forming such a close bond with another Gallifreyan – well, part-Gallifreyan. True, she and the Doctor were great friends, but that's all they were: friends. The Doctor needed a family of his own. There was always a sense of loneliness about him, but that was slowly melting away. He needed the child as much as the child needed him.

And what a child he was! Although the Doctor was wrong about the Dalek's supposed innate hostility, he was right about one thing: Xol was definitely no ordinary baby. The Daleks must have encoded his DNA with a great deal of scientific knowledge, as well as the ability to learn quickly – at two weeks, the "baby" was already helping the Doctor operate the TARDIS controls and balancing complex mathematical equations for fun. "Well," Sarah thought, "the Daleks certainly had their ducks in a row designing that brain. But they must have made a dreadful mistake elsewhere: Xol is the cutest, most affectionate alien parasite that I have ever met! And unless the Daleks plan to snuggle all other species to death, then someone slipped up his DNA sequencing!"

Soon the TARDIS had landed, and the Doctor whisked away to another room, leaving Xol with Sarah Jane. "Cover his eye, Sarah, I've got a surprise for the little one," instructed the Doctor as he disappeared around the corner. A few moments later he wheeled in Xol's very own suit of Dalek armor! This suit was smaller than the standard Dalek shell, and instead of gray it was done up quite lovely in shades of blue. When Sarah Jane uncovered his eye, he began to squeak enthusiastically and immediately began wriggling out of her arms.

"Ah, I see he recognizes this machinery," the Doctor noted. "No doubt this image, the basic form of the Dalek shell, is programmed into his memory as an extension of his natural self. Judging from his reaction, I'd say he's rather excited, wouldn't you?"

Sarah watched as the Doctor helped an overenthusiastic Dalek-Xol into the machinery and hooked up the appropriate tubes and bio-electrical connections.

"Umm, Doctor," said Sarah uneasily as she eyed the metallic ray gun attachment. "Please don't tell me he's armed?"

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, don't be silly. It's a mild stun ray. You know how I deplore weapons, but since we are leaving the safety of the TARDIS, I want Junior here to have a way to defend himself. And this here," he pointed to the black cupped attachment, "is a sensory appendage. He can use it to feel, touch, taste, smell, and analyze the chemical makeup of just about everything. And best of all, the voice modulator will allow him to speak to us in English. And … that should do it!" said the Doctor as he hooked up the final connections and shut the casing.

The Dalek immediately began experimenting with his new body. He moved his appendages, rotated his head segment, and wriggled his eye stalk. He took some jerky, tentative "steps" forward and backward and spun around a few times. He approached the Doctor.

"THANK … YOU," uttered Xol in uncertain staccato tones.

"Well, you're very welcome, my boy," replied the Doctor, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh Doctor, he's speaking!" exclaimed Sarah. "How marvelous!"

Xol turned to the girl. "HEL-LO SARAH JANE." He moved towards her and embraced her awkwardly with his two 'arms.' "DIS-TRIBUTING HUGS WILL BE DIFFICULT."

"True, but traveling out of doors will be easier. And safer. And now you can communicate with Sarah as well as me – she isn't telepathic, you know. Besides, at the end of the day, we can always take you out," said the Doctor.

"And then you'll be able to give all the hugs you want!" said Sarah, returning the gesture.

Fond though he may be of hugs, Dalek-Xol was too excited to tolerate this one for long. Soon he was zipping around the TARDIS, spinning and knocking on the doors, as excited as a child on Christmas morning.

"LET US GO OUT-SIDE NOW! I WANT TO SEE THE NIGHT FLOWERS."

"Night flowers?" repeated Sarah.

"Yes, on this planet in the springtime, entire fields of iridescent flowers open only at night. Xol is aware of this, as he's aware of much planetary phenomenon, but he's never seen it – never experienced it. He's full of programmed knowledge yet low on experiences, and he's eager to see and do so much."

"COME NOW!" said Xol impatiently. "DO NOT DAWDLE."

The Doctor and Sarah looked at each other and grinned.

"We're on our way, little one."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The spring festival on Centauri IV was indeed stunning. The TARDIS materialized beside a paved walkway on the outskirts of a small town. The mica in the paving stones turned the road into a glittering ribbon that sparkled like stars in the alien moonlight. The sky was a deep, velvety indigo, and the two white moons and numerous stars bathed the beautiful scenery in soft light. The trio walked along the path for some time, admiring the adjacent fields of glowing green and pink night blossoms. All the while Xol rattled on about the molecular structure of the alien pollen, the chemical reaction that caused the luminescence, why pink was his new favorite color although his name meant blue, and also how much he liked rainbows.

Everyone was happy and relaxed, and no one noticed a solitary dark shadow trailing not-so-far behind.

When they arrived at the village, the Doctor had to practically restrain Xol from rushing into the crowd. Sarah could understand his excitement: the street square was decorated in gold and pink lights, groups of Centaurans were playing cheerful flute music, and the large water fountain was filled with glowing lilies. Everyone was enjoying refreshments, including the local holiday drink, a type of green champagne that tasted like peaches. Luckily, aliens of every type were enjoying the celebration, so no one noticed a human, a Time Lord, and what appeared to be a pastel colored robot crash the party.

Xol finally managed to break away to talk to a group of children, while Sarah and the Doctor joined a boisterous group of aliens near the center fountain.

"And so _I_ said, one Centauran to hold the ladder, one to screw it in, and _another _to sleep with the _Chancellor's wife_!" said a purple skinned alien, to the animated laughter of his companions.

"Hullo, I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend, Miss Sarah Jane Smith. We're travelers who've only just arrived."

"Visitors! Come for the festival, no doubt?" said the purple alien. "I'm Xachxes Trivilli, and these are my friends, Tarvella Yol, Bhysi Andalei, and Veet – he gestured to a human-like Centauran, another purple alien, and a furry creature respectively. "And where are you from?"

"I'm from Gallifrey, and Sarah is from Earth."

"Ah, Earth!" said Xachxes. "Lovely little planet, I've heard – although rather wet. You must be a marvelous swimmer!"

Sarah laughed. "Well, I spend most of my time on land, actually."

At that point Xol, bedecked with multiple flower garlands, approached the group.

"DOC-TOR, SARAH! LOOK!" He spun around for effect.

Sarah laughed and kissed the dalek on his chromium plated head. "Xol, you look lovely!"

"And who might this be?" asked Tarvella.

"This is Dalek-Xol," introduced the Doctor. "He's my child."

"Well, he doesn't much look like you. I thought he was a robot."

"No, that's just his protective casing. But, you're right; he doesn't take after me, except for the eye color. He's a hybrid. He's still quite young; this is his first outing."

"Well," said the Centauran, addressing Xol. "Welcome to our planet, little fellow. You'll find this a peaceful and tolerant place: there hasn't been war here for centuries, and persons of all species come and go freely on Centauri IV."

"Yes," said the Doctor, smiling. "A truly remarkable planet. And I feel quite comfortable bringing my little one here. I can't imagine anyplace safer and more welcoming than Centauri IV on a warm, spring night."

As if on cue, a spray of green laser fire ripped through the air and set the fountain lilies ablaze. Screams broke out as aliens scrambled to escape. More lasers pierced the air, bouncing off buildings and scorching cobblestones and statues. The Doctor looked up in horror to see a menacing pair of Daleks approaching.

"SURRENDER THE DOC-TOR AND THE OFFSPRING, OR BE EXTERM-INATED!" screeched the Daleks in their horrible mechanical voices.

"Friends of yours?" Xachxes gasped.

"Certainly not! Run!"

"You don't have to tell _me_ twice," shouted Xachxes as he and his companions scrambled for cover.

"Doctor, what do we do?" cried Sarah.

"Sarah, get down! They're not after you. They want me and Xol. I'll lead them out of the city. Come, Xol. We've got to leave!"

"Doctor, I'm not leaving you!"

Xol was spinning around in terror. "NO! WHAT IS HAPPEN-ING?"

"Hurry, Xol! There isn't much time!" As the trio hurried away from the city square, they were suddenly met with an unwelcome sight: more Daleks. They spun around and realized that Daleks were approaching from all sides – they were trapped.

"I AM FRIGHT-ENED!" whimpered Xol.

As the Daleks closed in, the Doctor protectively clasped his son and companion, desperate for a means of escape. But it was no use. The Daleks began humming and glowing. Beams of blinding white light, like spokes on a wheel, suddenly shot from the Daleks, trapping the hapless pair. The Doctor, Sarah, and Dalek-Xol were immediately transported off of the planet and into the hands of their enemies.

…..

The kidnapped trio materialized inside a large, circular laboratory where they were surrounded by Daleks.

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?" cried poor Xol.

"THIS IS THE DALEK MOTHER-SHIP," replied the head Dalek. "WE ARE IN ORBIT AROUND CENTAURI IV. OUR SEN-SORS DETECTED THE DOCTOR'S LOCATION, AND WE FOLLOWED THE CO-ORDINATES."

"WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT US HERE?"

"BECAUSE YOU BELONG TO US. YOU ARE A DALEK. YOU ARE SUPERIOR. YOU BELONG WITH OTHER DALEKS."

"I BE-LONG WITH MY FAMILY," cried Xol. "I LOVE THEM."

The head Dalek paused and recoiled, as if in disgust. "LOVE?" it repeated. "LOVE? SUCH EMOTIONS ARE ALIEN TO DALEKS. THEY SERVE NO PURPOSE. THEY ARE THE MARK OF IN-FERIOR SPECIES. CLEARLY YOU ARE A GENETIC FAILURE. YOU MUST BE EXTERMINATED."

"No!" cried the Doctor, clasping his arms around Xol. "If you want him, you'll have to get through me first! And if I'm not mistaken, you need me alive, don't you? Since this experiment failed, you'll need to begin anew!"

"YOU ARE CORRECT," replied the Dalek. "WE WILL PRESERVE THE FAILURE FOR STUDY." The alien menace turned to face Sarah Jane. "YET THE HUMAN FEMALE SERVES NO PURPOSE." It raised its gleaming weapon. "EXTERMINATE!"

The next few moments were a blur of activity where everything seemed to happen at once. As the Dalek raised its weapon, Xol leapt into action, pushing Sarah Jane out of the line of fire. Before Sarah or the Doctor could even react, Xol was illuminated in deadly green light. His casing exploded, and Xol was killed.

Sarah screamed. The Doctor stared in pure horror at the smoking ruins of his little beloved Dalek. His sweet, innocent Xol, whom he'd permitted himself to love, had selflessly given his own life to save another. He picked up the little vulnerable body from the ruined casing and wrapped it in his coat. "Oh, no!" he moaned, tears streaming from his eyes. "No, please, no!" He looked up at the Daleks, the cold, cruel killing machines who had stolen his child from him, and a terrible rage flooded through his veins. He grabbed the sonic screwdriver and set it full power on the smoking shell. The gun reactivated, and a powerful stun ray shot out across the room, temporarily paralyzing every Dalek. "Come on, Sarah, we've got to get out of here!" choked the Doctor as he pulled her along behind him. They left the helpless Daleks behind and rushed through the complex. Just in time, they found transportation equipment; just as their enemies had caught up with them, they transported back to the safety of the TARDIS. Utterly heartbroken, they escaped the planet with the small, sad corpse of their dear friend.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

A week later, a solemn Doctor and Sarah Jane stood in a field of pink flowers deep in the country on Centauri IV. The Doctor had since made modifications to the TARDIS that masked his bio-signature, so that the Daleks could no longer locate them. Neither really wanted to see the planet again so soon, despite its tranquil beauty, after what had happened there so recently. But today they had a duty to perform. It was time to finally say goodbye to Xol: to bury him in the place where he'd perhaps been the happiest, if that happiness only lasted a short time.

After the horrible tragedy with the Daleks, the Doctor and Sarah had waited anxiously by the body of Xol in hopes that he would regenerate. It was doubtful, but the Doctor didn't want to give up hope; not if there was a small chance that Xol wasn't completely dead, that he might possibly come back to life. After all, a regenerating Dalek was the original aim. The Daleks may have failed on some aspects of their genetic engineering, but what if they got that part right? What if Xol came back to life?

But he didn't. The days passed, and the body lay unchanging. Finally, the Doctor had to come to terms with the fact that his little Xol was really gone. He had to completely accept the loss. And so, a week later the pair returned to lay the body of a dear friend among the flowers that he so loved. Neither said a word. Sarah was silently weeping, but the Doctor's face was dry and hard. He had opened himself up when he allowed himself to love Xol, and he'd been burned. Now he had closed his hearts back up again. He forced himself to forget. He looked at Sarah and put an arm around her. He was grateful he still had her. And although things were rough now, it would be all right in the end. Everything in the universe began and ended; he had learned to accept that long ago. And he would have to come to terms with that again.

"Come on Sarah," he whispered. "Let's go home."

And the pair walked solemnly back to the TARDIS.


	9. Chapter 9

Epilogue

The days passed, and the pink flowers on Centauri IV began to wither. The faded petals fell from their stalks and covered the cold, still body of a little Dalek hybrid. But now that little body was neither so still nor as cold. Warmth and movement slowly returned to its injured form. The petals shifted, and a tentacle twitched. A deep, golden glow suddenly enveloped the body, healing its wounds and breathing life into lifelessness. The Daleks' experiment in regeneration had been successful, after all.

As the new Xol crawled upright, he knew that he was a changed creature – not only physically, but emotionally. It had been painful to lose his friends, to give up his comfortable life on the TARDIS; but he was grown-up now, and he had to learn how to make his own way in the universe.

He would try his best to find the Doctor again. He was smart, and the Doctor had taught him courage and compassion. So he took his first steps down that path alone, to search for his beloved family.

He knew that one day, he would find them, and on that day they could all be happy together again.

THE END?


End file.
